Bullock pleads not guilty to priest's death; prelim hearing set for Jan. 16

The Redway man accused of killing beloved Eureka priest Rev. Eric Freed during a violent struggle in the St. Bernard Catholic Church rectory on Jan. 1 pleaded not guilty Monday to charges including murder and attempted arson during his arraignment at the Humboldt County Courthouse.

Gary Lee Bullock, clad in an orange jail jumpsuit with his hands shackled in front of him, stared straight ahead showing no emotion while the charge of murder -- with special allegations that Freed's death was intentional and involved the infliction of torture and was committed during a first-degree residential burglary -- was read in court.

Freed was well-known in the community, where he was also a lecturer in the Religious Studies Department at Humboldt State University for several years. At his funeral Mass on Monday, he was remembered as a man who found great joy in living and reached out to those around him.

Bullock, who turned 44 on Monday, was also charged with vehicle theft and attempted arson. His bail was set at $1.2 million.

Deputy Conflict Counsel Kaleb Cockrum was assigned to represent Bullock. He declined to waive his client's right to a speedy trial and Judge John T. Feeney set a Jan. 16 preliminary hearing to determine whether Bullock will stand trial. Deputy District Attorney Elan Firpo represented the prosecution.

No details of the case were discussed during the brief hearing. Bullock spoke only to answer the judge's questions about whether he needed an attorney assigned to him, saying simply "Yes, sir."

Bullock was taken into custody Jan. 2 near his family's Briceland home after a sheriff's sergeant contacted his mother, who did not know he was wanted. Bullock's stepfather drove him down the road of the rural home, where they were met by sheriff's deputies who conducted a traffic stop. Officials said Bullock did not know his family was surrendering him to authorities.

The arrest came less than two hours after Eureka Police Chief Andrew Mills announced a warrant had been issued for Bullock, who was released from the Humboldt County jail at 12:43 a.m. on Jan. 1, less than nine hours before Freed was found after he didn't arrive for a 9 a.m. Mass.

Bullock was contacted twice on the St. Bernard Catholic Church's grounds a few blocks from the jail in the early morning hours of Jan. 1, including once by an EPD officer called after Bullock was reportedly "howling" in a nearby parking lot before entering the church bathroom.

Mills said the officer directed Bullock to an emergency shelter. A security guard contacted Bullock later and told him to leave the grounds.

Mills said a side window of the rectory was broken into and the murder weapons were a wooden stake and metal pipe found at the scene.

The Humboldt County Coroner's Office found Freed's cause of death was blunt force trauma. No exact time of death has been released.